Coronary Angioplasty in Diabetic Patients The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty Registry

Background Patients with diabetes mellitus are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. To date, the baseline status and subsequent outcomes of diabetic coronary angioplasty (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or PTCA) patients with advanced atherosclerotic disease and with procedures performed across North America have not been well characterized. Methods and Results Data on baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics and short- and long-term outcomes of 281 diabetic and 1833 nondiabetic PTCA patients in the multicenter National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 1985-1986 PTCA Registry were analyzed. Diabetic patients were older, were more likely to be female, and had more comorbid baseline conditions, triple-vessel disease, and atherosclerotic lesions. Angiographic success and completeness of revascularization did not differ significantly, yet diabetic patients experienced more in-hospital death (women) and nonfatal myocardial infarction. Nine-year mortality was twice as high in d...